Long since abandoned at the pachinko parlor by Al and Gordo when his excitement had turned to compulsion, then desperation, Jeff found himself out on the Tokyo streets at 2AM. With no trains running until sunup, he made the long, lonely amble back to his hotel.
This truly was the land of dreams in his early 20s, spending ramen fueled nights gambling his savings away at pachinko, or cavorting with Al and Gordo in the latest Gundam themed bar in Akihabara. Those were rowdy years for him, when just the possibilities of a summer night in his fabled land of the rising sun were enough to keep him going until that sun finally rose. Now at 28, something felt… different. The late night neon signs of the city burned bright as ever, yet something about them seemed less inspiring than just a year ago. Even Pai Con, the end all be all of every Tokyo pilgrimage he’d taken, eternal drain on his wallet that it was, seemed less enticing than in years past.
He put his hands in his pockets, and kept the rhythm of his footsteps against the indifferent pavement. He couldn’t help but wonder if anything else could be waiting for him, or if this dream too would never be tangible, something always out of reach.
Drop a comment if you were in the crowd for today’s bonus video!
Were Pop City a musical, this is what we would call the “I want song”. Essentially, we’re cutting past the enthusiasm of the first two songs and getting down to the way Jeff actually feels after the initial thrill and excitement of being in Japan has worn off. Little does he know, the land of the rising sun has something special in store for him this time. But we’ll get to that on day 6.
I’ve been trying to get a chromatic harmonica part on a Raspberry Pie recording for YEARS, and I finally managed it with Neon Night. Unlike a blues harmonicas, which you can sort of just blow into and get the right notes (assuming you’re playing the right harmonica in the right key), chromatic harmonicas play in half steps, which means they’re much harder to play, but also offer a distinct tone, specifically for soloing. I’ve loved the sound of chromatic harmonica since I first heard Toots Thielemans as a teenager, and his record, The Brazil Project, was actually what inspired me to learn to play chromatic in the first place.
Amble down an empty road
Me and I
Myself alone
Although I suppose I could have caught a train
An hour back
But then again
They probably weren’t running then
And I don’t mind the walk back either way
Every sign that I can see
Is saying konbanwa to me
Just another neon night
Another neon night
Ooh another neon
Wander ’til the morning light
Through a neon night
2 AM, I’d lay to rest
My head but only in the west
And now that I’m on eastern standard time
Half awake
Contemplate
The search that brought me to this place
But what is it I’m hoping I will find?
And every sign that I can see
Is saying konbanwa to me
Just another neon night
Another neon night
Ooh another neon
Wander ’til the morning light
Through a neon night
Chalk it up to jet lag
Or desire to simply be
So endlessly awake
Inside this city made of dreams
The neon sea of stars around me
Try to light the way
But what it is they’re trying to lead me
To I couldn’t say
Another night that I will spend
With my illuminating friends
Just another neon night
Another neon night
Ooh another neon
Wander ’til the morning light
Through a neon night
Tell us what you think of the song!